What does your garden grow?

I live in a rental and there is not much opportunity for me to make the gardens look as lovely as I wish to.  I could if I wanted to spend money on someone else's investment (and over time, I have - I can't help wanting my nest to look appealing for my own benefit). 

Instead I grow things in pots.  I also like to strike cuttings from plants that I have liberated from friends, family or 'in passing' and plump up the garden beds at the front of the house. 

My back patio has evolved from humble ratty beginnings into may own little culinary garden and it is bringing me so much joy.  I am so proud of all my little plants.  They are doing so well.  My garden is a wonderful ambient and sensory place for me to relax and enjoy.

I never thought I would ever grow my own raspberries!  The above photo is the first raspberry that came off the bush.  I was so enamoured with the fact that I cultivated it I had to mark the event with a photo on a pretty plate!  It is so exciting to be able to walk out my back door and pick them, fresh off the bush.  Unfortunately there are only enough at the moment for snacking purposes, but I get such a buzz knowing that they grew from my tender care and love.

 Herbs are essential in my garden.  You would be suprised how much more inspiration you can be filled with when you have beautiful fresh herbs on hand, ready for picking.  My 'must have's' are mint, parsley, thyme and basil.  (Above is my lovely 'Boxwood' basil).  Any of these are a wonderful addition to bring dishes to life.  Especially pasta.  I grow them in the pots I bought them in, in a container (which started its life as a humble automotive oil drip tray can you believe?!) in a sunny spot right by the kitchen door, so all I need to is reach out and pluck them as I need them. 

I love to pick at my herbs and nibble on them while sitting outside while dead-heading daisies and marigolds or just enjoying the space.  Pinching them out from the top encourages more bushy and compact growth so it's a win-win.  After much consideration (as to what I would do with it) I bought a Stevia plant and it is great for guilt-free snacking as it is a natural sweetner.  I simply pick a few leaves and roll a mint leaf around them and it staves off hunger pangs (and makes your breath sweet and minty-fresh!). I haven't experimented yet with it (apparently its sweetness is intensified by drying) though I do plan on trying it in my baking sometime soon. 

I have all kinds of fruit trees, flowers  annuals and perennials.  In addition this year I have Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses.  I keep pests at bay where possible using organic pesticides - and natural ones, encouraging Lady Beetles and companion planting (aphids hate marigolds!).  Catterpillars are welcome as they turn into beautiful butterflies.  I love how they munch on the leaves, it reminds me of the book 'The Very Hungry Catterpillar'.

My garden is a lovely place for me (as well as Gidget) to sit and contemplate.  To flip through magazines, read my cook books, or to just soak up the beautiful morning sun.  On weekends I treat myself to breakfast at my table.  Warm summer nights are perfect for barbecues too.

You don't need rambling acres of land to enjoy a garden.  Mine is very compact and modest and I love it.  All you need is a small sunny area or windowsill - even the World's greatest gardens started with just one plant.

Until next time...

Kitty xx

A New(ish) Season

Autumn is a lovely time of year here in Queensland.  Along with spring, it is my favourite season.  Autumn is when the weather is just starting to cool down as it comes into winter, and my tummy always craves things that are warm and satisfying.  Come to think of it, when does it not crave anything!

I bought some beautiful new season apples at the supermarket yesterday.  I love how they look in the bowl just as they are as a still life. 

Of course now my mind starts to race at what I could do with them.  I love the smell of apples stewing.  All that lovely aroma, laced with clove, cinnamon and nutmeg.  It is comforting and enveloping like a warm hug.  Especially on a cold rainy day. 

Stewed fruits are delicious hot or cold.  With ice cream, cream, custard or alone.  Apple is particularly nice mixed into yoghurt or muesli or on my new found favourite - Latkes (with a hearty dollop of sour cream).

Apple and Rhubarb would have to be one of my all time favourite stewed fruit combos.To stew the fruit it's basically thus: 

Cut a few ribs of rhubarb and 2 or three peeled and cored apples into chunks.  Place into a saucepan with a few tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (You can also add cinnamon/cloves etc here to taste).  Bring to a gentle simmer.  The fruit will yield some moisture, so you will not need to add water, but if you wish you can add a little splash of water to help the cooking process along.  If you are trying to cut down on your sugar intake, add a little apple juice in lieu of some of the sugar.  Cook for about 10 mins.  Once the fruit is fork tender, remove from the heat and clamp on a lid.  Use as desired. 

On a side note, if you are using young rhubarb it should be nice and tender.  If it is older it may be a little stringy so just run a potato peeler along the stalks to remove some of the strings.

My Dad makes a really great apple pie.  I always love his baking.  I have tried to get some recipes from him, but his recipes are more like 'a bit of this, bit of that, bung it in the oven' kind of thing.  Somehow what he does seems to work - I guess I get my baking courageousness from him.  Even if he isn't as experimental as I am with flavours and textures it is nice to know that he has had some influence!

Maybe when I'm done admiring my beautiful bowl of apples I will just eat them as is, cut them into wedges and spread them with Nutella (yum!) or bake them into a pie.  If I go out and talk nicely to my rhubarb plant there may even be a whiff of that too.

Until next time...

Kitty xx

Little Mouthfuls of Gorgeousness

For the past few months I have been looking for recipes that I remember eating when I was a kid.  You know, the stuff that you eat today that reminds you of what 'Grandma used to make'.  The things that make you giddy and smile to remember the simpler times, when your mouth wasn't quite big enough to cram in a whole piece of cake, or your mother was constantly dabbing away at the cream all over your fingers and face. 

Baking has had a resurgence in popularity lately, and things to me seem a little too primped and technical.  I am looking for the good old fashioned things, sponge cakes with jam and cream, pies with home made pastry and sticky gooey caramel fillings (Even if I can never bring myself to try boiling a can of condensed milk to make caramel - kids don't try this at home).  All the good stuff that we remember eating as kids, is the stuff I am yearning for today. 

As you know I am quite the fan of little individual baked treats.  Even though I love a grand layered cake at the best of times, these are easy and fun to bake, look sweet, petite and best of all, when it comes to serving you don't have to have the 'who's going to cut the cake' argument.

Jelly cakes have become my latest little love.  I used to eat these as a kid and have had a craving for them in the past few weeks.  They are these delightful little patty cakes, filled with cream and rolled in semi-set jelly and coconut.  They look so dainty and pretty.  Making them again brings back so many fond memories.

I love them piled high on a pretty plate and shared among friends.

Perfect with a lovely hot cup of tea. 



Jelly Cakes - Recipe adapted from Taste.com.au

60g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
85g packet of Port Wine jelly crystals
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
3 cups dessicated coconut
1/2 cup thickened cream, whipped


Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 12 x 2 tablespoon capacity patty pan. (Oil spray is perfect for greasing these pans) Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, a little at a time, beating until well combined.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt.  Gently fold in half the flour and half the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk.

Spoon about 1 tsp of the mixture into patty pan. (You may need more depending on the size of your patty pans - if you use muffin pans, use a tablespoon of mixture) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool cakes on a wire rack.

Cut each cake in half horizontally. Sandwich halves back together using 1 teaspoon of cream.  Place in refrigerator for 10-20 mins.  (I find this step really helps the cream to adhere the cake halves together and makes them easier to roll in jelly and coconut.  You could also freeze the cakes at this stage if you wish and jelly/coconut later).

Stir jelly and boiling water together in a bowl until crystals are dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold and slightly thick.

Place coconut into a large bowl.   Roll cakes, 1 cake at a time, into jelly. Gently shake off  excess jelly. Toss cakes in coconut until well coated. Place onto a lined tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.


These cakes freeze well.  Just pull out of the freezer and place on a plate for 20-30 mins to reach room temperature.  Great for when you have company coming and want to have a little special something that looks like you have slaved all morning away on!

Feel free to experiment with different jelly flavours.  I especially like Port Wine because it gives the cakes a lovely pink hue.

Until next time...

Kitty xx

Hello Sunshine!

I am so happy to see the sun.  Like you wouldn't believe.  Not only do I get my laundry done (what is it about women - at the first sign of inclement weather all we think about is how are we going to get our sheets dry).  I don't have to stay inside getting fat from all the baking and episodes of Mad Men I have been watching.

Despite all this shiny happy weather, I do have plans to cook today.  I have a hankering for French Apple Cake.  I bought some New Season Delicious Apples last week which really should be called 'Floury Disappointment Apples' because they were exactly that.  On the outside they looked stunning.  Deep red, shiny and achingly crisp (I know crisp is more a texture rather than a visual but you get the picture).  They looked like the kind of apple a Wicked Witch would offer a Fairy Princess.  And, just like in the fairy tales, one bite was all it took.  Yuk.

So I think rather than throw them away, I will try and transform them with the magic of adding , rum, sugar and heat. 

As I write you, I am sitting out in my garden enjoying my morning cup of tea and trying to stretch out my black skinny jeans.  I really need to stop kidding myself when I buy clothing.  I mean, 'skinny'... One can dream.

It is amazing what a little sunshine can do for your day.

Until next time...

Kitty xx

Wet Weather, Weekends and Slow Cook Sundays

Weather.  It is starting to drive me a little crazy.  It really shouldn't though.  I have lived here for 10 plus years and I should be used to the whole monsoon-type weather we experience here in Queensland.  I can't complain too much, we get lots of sunshine, our winters are mild and our summers really are delicious, even if they can get a little hot and humid.

I escaped the mild Australian Winter last year for the most part, enjoying a warm New York Summer.  Then I escaped the harsh Australian summer for a cool but mild New York Winter.  So I not only swap hemispheres, I swap seasons as well.  Cheeky!

I love cold weather, I love New York in the Wintertime (apart from trying to get about when it is snowing and it is hard to fall with style and grace on black ice...) though to compare it Winter in Queensland it is like night and day.

Still, I always joke that the mercury only needs to drop half a degree for me to put the soup pot on.  Rainy weekends like this inspire me to get into the kitchen.

When the weather is cold and wet I crave big, hearty food.  I love rich, thick soups and stews, slow cooked veal shin and lamb shanks, served with thick buttery polenta or mashed potato.

There is nothing like slow cooked meat on the bone, yielding its sweet and sticky marrow.  Delicious!

Slow cook weather is my favourite kind of cooking weather, next to baking.  If I were married to baking, I would cheat on it with slow cooking.  It is uncomplicated and looks after itself with minimal effort or fuss.  Even though Autumn has only just begun here, I have started early, my tradition of  'Slow Cook Sundays'.  Sunday is a great day for me to kick back and unwind.  To do a little work in my patio garden, to hang out with my dogs or to read books and magazines or work with my hands.  (I love designing and making things from wood and recycled materials but that could be another blog in itself).

The things I love to cook most are the ones that you can just put on the stove on a low heat and forget about, like Osso Bucco, Lamb Shanks, Slow Roasted Pork and tonight's offering, Corned Beef.

I am really looking forward to my dinner tonight.  I mean what could be simpler?  Take beef out of bag, put in a dutch oven with a few peppercorns, a splash of vinegar, a bay leaf and a tsp of sugar.  Cover with water, bring to boil, simmer away for a couple of hours, serve with mashed potato and cabbage.  In two hours I'm a happy girl.  Plus there is the extra goodness of corned beef sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.  Mmmm... with lots of mustard pickles on fresh bread.  Yum-o.  I am almost looking more forward to my lunch tomorrow!

Enjoy your weekend!  I hope I have inspired you.

Until next time...

Kitty xx

A Gentle Prod...

A prod, a boost, whatever.  Yes!  Sit at the laptop and enjoy seeing the words magically appear on the screen again.

Oh how good it feels!

I have been so very busy of late, holidaying over Christmas and settling back into work for the new school year.  I even had my first attempt at catering, baking cupcakes for a Wedding!  How exciting!

I spent December and January in my adopted 'homeland', America.  Enjoying time in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Christmas and New Year in New York.  Oh bliss!  And my yearning for all things buttery, maple-ey, hot-doggery and pretzel-y will likely see my return in September this year.

But enough about my summertime antics, lets talk about the absolutely gorgeous cupcakes I made for the Wedding last month... 

Bless you Larissa Lindsay for asking me to bake the sweet morsels for your nuptials.  It indeed was a pleasure. 

Also many many many thanks to The Hummingbird Bakery.  I have no affiliation with you (or anyone in the bakery world for that matter) but it is your cookbook that provided me with the recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes.  In my opinion, this is the best Red Velvet recipe I have ever baked and I have tried a few.  I doubled the mixture and baked it 6 times and it worked out perfect each time, producing a whopping 85 large cupcakes.

I was a little nervous to start with as I had never really 'catered' for anyone before.  I turned my nerves into confidence and made sure I had everything at hand on the day of baking.  I even did a test batch of the cupcakes for the Bride and Groom beforehand so I knew for certain that they were going to be happy.  I mean, you do want things to be perfect on your wedding day, right? 

I am happy to report there are no tales of dropped cake pans, faulty ovens, broken mix masters or tantrums.  I was super-organised and started early.  I baked all morning up until lunchtime with Def Leppard playing in the background.  I was rocking out old school and having a wonderful time. 

The following day, after coming home from work, it was time to pipe on the cream cheese frosting.

Frosting the cupcakes was a little more of a challenge.  With there being so many cupcakes and such a large quantity of cream cheese frosting, I knew I would need a little help.  I enlisted in the help of friend (and the Bride's Maid of Honour) Kellie and her beautiful 9 year old daughter, Chloe to gild each cream cheese frosted cake with gold dust as I piped on the frosting.  It was like a little production line!

I delivered the cupcakes, all 7 boxes of them to the restaurant, with my car air conditioner pumping overtime and felt the biggest sense of relief as the cakes were taken from my hands and placed into the restaurant's cold room.  Be free my little babies!

So for two days work, (including me going to my day job) a lot of love, rock music and over-heating electric hand beaters, I got the cakes baked, iced and delivered.  I even got to attend the Wedding and Reception!  I was very nervous as dessert was served, but I was worried over nothing.  The cakes were a success!  *Phew!*

The whole experience was a very positive one for me.  I really love baking.  Most of all it is lovely to hear from others that my efforts are both delicious as well as visually appealing.  Maybe if I had a bigger oven and a mixer with a little more oomph I might even consider doing this more often.  Who knows!  At this stage, my biggest aspirations are to buy a stand mixer.  I still love my dinky little hand beater, even if at times it feels and smells like it is going to blow up. 

Would I do this again?  Absolutely!  I really enjoyed the whole experience.  I truly feel that I have a calling for baking.  It is something that really does make me happy.  If I could make a living out of it and still be happy?  Well that remains to be seen.  Wish me luck anyway!

Until next time...

Kitty xx

Rainy Days and Cookies

I think I live in Queensland's rain capital.  Northern Queensland would like to say that it has the state's greatest rainfall, but I believe where I live on the Sunshine Coast trumps what falls out of the sky up North. 

It is Saturday and I had so many plans for the weekend.  It is early Autumn and I have been re-acquainting myself with my garden again, after a summer of neglect, making myself busy moving around the garden furniture, mulching my fruit trees and adding a few pops of colour with some potted flowers.  For the afternoons after work where I have had the opportunity to be outside, I have been enjoying pottering about and loving my space again.

And then the rain came tumbling down...

Well it has been raining for weeks, with a day of respite here and there, well enough to get the sheets almost dry or make you wish you hadn't washed at all. 

Good weather for baking!  Which is exactly what I did today.  I baked and I watched the rain fall outside and it was lovely.  As much as I enjoyed myself, it is now evening and the rain is still heavily falling, tomorrow is Sunday and I think I may develop morbid obesity if this weather keeps up, plus a scorching case of cabin fever.


Chewy Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies (Recipe from Real Living Magazine, March 2012)

180g dark chocolate
140g butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs whisked
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups plain flour
pinch salt

140g cream cheese @ room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 180C.  Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Place chocolate, butter and sugar into a saucepan over low heat, stirring regularly until chocolate and butter have melted.  Remove the pan from heat and add vanilla and eggs.  Stir to combine, making sure the eggs are well mixed into the chocolate mixture to ensure they do not scramble.  Sift in cocoa, flour and salt and mix well to combine.

Place dough in the fridge for about 10 mins, this will firm it up a little and make it easier to work with.

In a separate bowl, place cream cheese and icing sugar and mix with a hand held mixer or by hand until smooth.

Remove dough from fridge and roll tblsps of dough into balls.  Place on lined trays, ensuring you leave space for spreading (I put about 8 per tray but this will depend on the size of your tray).  Make an indent in each cookie with your thumb and fill centre with a dollop (about a teaspoon) of the cream cheese mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until you notice the cookies are cracked on the outside but soft in the centre.  Swap trays after 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

The cookies should keep for about 5 days in an airtight container if they don't get eaten beforehand!  Makes approximately 24.


I will say this, I did manage to get up very early this morning and go for a jog before it started raining, so I believe eating one or two cookies on a rainy day like today is perfectly acceptable.  (That's my story and I am sticking to it!)

Until next time...

Kitty xx